Michigan State University
No. 61 Nebraska
No. 73 Spartans Upset No. 61 Nebraska
3/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's tennis team rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the No. 61 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday afternoon. Sunday's 4-3 victory was the second this season that the match came down to senior Catherine Parenteau and her clinching the victory. The Spartans improve to 13-2 on the year and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
"I am unbelievably happy right now," said head coach Simone Jardim. "This was a really big win for us. We know the Big Ten is tough and every win matters. I am really proud of Catherine battling through today battling through the pain."
The Cornhuskers struck first on Sunday, capturing the doubles point with victories at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles.
Sophomore Erin Faulkner tied the match at 1-1 with a victory at No. 1 singles. Faulkner defeated Maggy Lehmicke, 6-2, 6-3. She is now 16-10 on the season and 9-5 at No. 1 singles in 2015.
The Huskers took a 3-1 lead with victories at No. 3 singles and No. 5 singles.
Junior Emily Meyers came back from a 5-2 deficit in the second set at No. 6 singles, to down Nebraska's Mackenna Maddox, 6-4, 7-6 (3). Meyers is now 17-8 in singles play this season.
Freshman Lexi Baylis tied the match at 3-3 with a come from behind victory at No. 2 singles. Baylis defeated Izabella Zgierska, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. With the win, Baylis now holds the school record for singles victories for a freshman with 26. '
The match came down to No. 4 singles where Catherine Parenteau won the thrilling match in a three-set tiebreaker. Parenteau fell in the first set to Lisa Andersson, 5-7. Parenteau rallied to force a third set with a 6-4 victory in the second set. Despite trailing 3-2 in the third set Parenteau kept fighting and won the third set tiebreaker, 7-3. Parenteau also clinched the match on Jan. 26, when she capped off the comeback from 3-0 against No. 72 Fresno State. She is now 8-5 on the year.
The Spartans return to action on Saturday, March 21 as they host Big Ten foe Wisconsin at the MSU Indoor Courts at Noon.
Players Mentioned
